Logan Barnett does it all as Pontiac advances to regional championship game

STANFORD — It was Logan Barnett Day as the junior guided Pontiac to a 14-1 victory over Olympia in the semifinal round of the Class 2A Olympia Regional Thursday.

Pontiac will be playing for a baseball regional championship Saturday against top-seeded Tremont with a berth into the Millikin Sectional on the line.

Barnett went yard with the bases juiced, drove in five runs and tossed a complete game as the Indians improved to 12-13. On the mound, Barnett was in total control, throwing 58 strikes out of 81 pitches. He did not allow a walk and scattered seven hits while setting down 11 on strikes.

The Tribe gave Barnett the early lead when Henry Brummel singled with two outs in the bottom of the first inning. Catcher Alex Trevino singles with one out and Hunter Wilson came on as the courtesy runner. Barnett drew a walk and Drew Wayman came on as the courtesy runner.

Brummel delivered a two-out single to score Wilson and, after Parker Francis walked, Colin Gould singled to drive in Wayman for a 2-0 lead.

A five-run second inning pushed the Indians to a seven-run advantage. As many rallies do, this one started with a leadoff walk as Cam Fenton drew a free pass. He stole second and took third on a balk before scoring on a Michael Kuska single.

Trevino followed with a base hit and Barnett singled to drive in Kuska. Johnny Lenox doubled for the fourth straight PTHS base knock, driving in courtesy runners Wilson and Wayman for a 6-0 lead. A two-out single from Gould plated Lenox.

Barnett's one tough inning was the fourth when he allowed a pair of two-out hits that provided the Spartans with their only tally.

Pontiac bounced back in the bottom of the inning by doubling its score with a seven-run outburst. Brummel led off with a single and he scored when Gould belted a two-run homer two batters later.

The one-out homer was the first of six straight PTHS batters to reach base. Tanner Legner and Fenton each followed with singles and Kuska walked to load the bases. Trevino also drew a free pass as Legner scored.

Barnett then emptied the sacks by smacking the first pitch for a grand slam to cap the game's scoring

Olympia got two runners on base in the top of the fifth inning but Barnett got out of the minor jam with a fly out to Fenton to end the game.

Barnett had a homer, single and five runs batted in to help lead the Pontiac offense. Gould also provided pop with three hits, including a homer, and four RBIs. Kuska, Trevino and Brummel each had two hits and drove in a run while Legner collected two safeties. Lenox had a double and two runs batted in and Fenton singled.

EPG 9, Prairie Central 5

EUREKA — EL Paso-Gridley got off to a good start to the season. Now, the Titans are looking to finish strong. EPG took a step forward with a 9-5 victory over Prairie Central in the semifinal round of the Class 2A Eureka Regional Thursday.

Then win moves the Titans into Saturday's championship game opposite the host Hornets with advancement to the Millikin Sectional on the line.

Will McNamara broke a tie game with a two-out base hit in the third inning and EPG led the rest of the way.

Prairie Central tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the third, but El Paso-Gridley rebounded with two runs in the bottom of the inning, highlighted by McNamara's base knock.

Brady Veselack led off the EPG third with a single. Aiden Jeffreys singled one out later and Jacob Castleman drew a two-out walk to load the bases and bring up McNamara. McNamara drove a PC hurler Evan Hartman offering to right to drive in Veselack and Jeffreys to make it 3-1.

Mitchell Wilson led off the El Paso-Gridley fourth inning with a two-base to trigger what became a six-run outburst. Mac Raymer followed a Veselack one-out single with a hit of his own to drive in Wilson. Landon Foster coaxed a bases-loaded walk off reliever Caden Addis to force in Veselack two batters later.

Addis also walked Castleman and McNamara to force in two more runs before Tyler Curl came on as the third Hawks hurler in the frame. Dominic Ricconi lofted a sacrifice fly to drive in Foster and Wilson singled for his second hit of the frame to plate Castleman and make it 9-1.

Prairie Central made an effort to come back with a three-run fifth inning. Curl walked with one out and DJ Lewis drew a two-out free pass off EPG starter Mason Vandegraft. Camden Palmore then singled to load the bases for Owen Rafferty.

Rafferty drove a Vandegraft pitch to left for a two-base hit that scored three runs to make it 9-4.

The Hawks loaded the bases again in the seventh inning in an effort to complete a comeback. Ivan Miller was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and pinch-hitter Connor Gibson singled. Lewis followed a strikeout by reaching on an error to load the bases and Palmore reached on an error that allowed Miller to score.

Mac Raymer, who relieved Vandegraft after the Gibson base hit, got Rafferty to pop out and Hunter Chambers to ground out to end the game.

EPG got on the board first with a run in the last of the second. Castleman was given an intentional walk to lead off the inning and he took second on a wild pitch. A sacrifice had Castleman on third and he scored on Ricconi's ground out.

Prairie Central pulled even on the top of the third on back-to-back two-out base hits. Lewis singled and then scored on Palmore's double.

Wilson had a double, single and drove in a run for the Titans (14-10). Jeffreys had a double and single and Veselack also had two hits. McNamara had a hit and three runs batted in and Raymer had a hit and RBI. Ricconi drove in two runs while Foster and Castleman each had one RBI.

Vandegraft got the win after going six-plus innings. He gave up five runs, seven hits and two walks while plunking one batter. He also struck out two. Raymer fanned one in closing out the seventh inning.

Hartman took the loss for the Hawks (7-22) after allowing seven runs, six hits and three walks. He struck out three. Addis allowed two runs after walking three and Curl yielded two hits in 1 2/3 innings. Carson Friedman finished up.

Palmore had three hits, including a double, and drove in two runs in leading the Prairie Central offense. Rafferty doubled and drove in three runs while Lewis, Clayton Bahler and Gibson each singled.

Roanoke-Benson 12, Dwight 3

ROANOKE — Top-seeded and tourney host Roanoke-Benson brought an end to the Dwight baseball campaign with a 12-3 win in the semifinal round of the Class 1A Roanoke-Benson Regional Thursday.

The Rockets will take on LeRoy on Saturday for a berth into the Illinois Wesleyan Sectional.

Dwight scored first and was tied with the Rockets after batting in the second inning. But the Roanoke-Benson offense was too good as it scored in each of the first four innings to pull away.

Luke Gallet got the Trojans on the board with a one-out home run in the top of the first inning. Ryan Turner and Terry Wilkey followed by walking but DTHS couldn't get that big base hit as the two were left stranded.

The Rockets scored three runs in the bottom of the first off Dwight starter Gallet. The Trojans answered with two runs in the top of the second to knot the game at 3-3.

Jack Denker led off the Dwight second with a two-base hit and scored on Dillon Sarff's base knock. Will Trainor followed with a base hit as Sarff took third. Sarff scored on a Jack Duffy's sacrifice fly to tie it up.

Roanoke-Benson scored four times in the last of the second and padded its lead with two runs in the third and one in the fourth frame. Two runs in the sixth capped the scoring.

The Trojans didn't pose a real threat until the sixth inning when Denker walked with one out and Sarff followed with a base hit. Two flyouts ended the inning.

Gallet homered, singled and drove in a run for Dwight (3-19). Sarff also had two hits and drove in a run while Denker had a two-base hit. Trainor singled and Duffy drove in a run.

Gallet took the loss after allowing nine runs, six hits and three walks in three innings. He fanned three. Tyler Cox gave up three runs, six hits and one walk in 2 2/3 innings and Sarff closed out the game.

This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: Logan Barnett leads Pontiac; El Paso-Gridley tops Prairie Central